Atraties and I have been working on a blog about our homesteading project for the past few months. We're trying to make more compassionate choices about what we eat, and to raise much of our food ourselves. With a focus on our own initiatives, it's also sprinkled with posts that are more educational. We're in the process of getting rabbits and chickens, recording each triumph and failure in the process.

Today's blog post was written by myself, about Truth in Labeling of food. Please check it out =)
http://hillsidehomestead.blogspot.com

Scanning in  Sasuke's badge tonight so that I can get that out into the mail ASAP. That's the last of the Furfright badges for people who have kept in regular contact. I'm hoping that after the holiday season the other folk become more reachable.

I have next week off, for the first real vacation I've had in years. My plan? Finish everything--I mean EVERYTHING--on my list and do some personal art and things for con-prints. It's been a while since I've had a day where I wasn't away at work/commute for 12+ hours or running errands. I promised myself I'd be immersed in my makeshift studio (the real one still isn't quite done -_-) and get things done.  WindNCRs painting from the rat rescue things had been put aside, and needs to be finished, among other projects. Expect to see a lot of posts from me in an unusually short time =) If I can figure out live-stream I might consider trying it. At the end of the week, I'm going to New York City for BroNY Con! I can't wait!

And in randomness, I'm so glad that  Atraties and I have each other. Things have been so hectic and I don't know how I could do it all without him!

Everything is out! I have tracking numbers if anyone would like.

Whew!

I also posted a "lost contact" on Artists Beware to try to get in contact with the three people I've lost contact with.

Finished  sasuke's badge (I need to cut and scan it) Am currently on  anbessa's piece. Am about halfway through the coloring--I forgot how much work coloring metallics can be! O.O I think this may be the most beautiful set of paws I've ever drawn though....

Life is again uprooting, my partner got a new job! We currently share a car and a long commute. Since I have flexible hours, my schedule is getting another overhaul--super-early mornings but now I have a hope of seeing daylight when I get home. I'm not a morning person, but this may still be for the better. Thankfully, this should be the last change in a while and will soon be even less as once we're in a safe spot I will be quitting my second job so I have more reasonable hours and can dedicate more time to art (which, though inconsistent, has the potential to make more than the shitty-pay I'm working for and cause much less stress in my life). We'll also be working towards saving for a second car--a must when you live in rural-land where there's more cows and corn than people--which will mean that I don't have to depend on synchronizing my schedule before I can go home from work every day.

Everything not yet shipped on my list will be shipped this week--if I have to take time off to do it I will do so. I want everyone's finished badges etc out before XMAS, If you want a tracking # please let me know.

I'm still working on a good shipping solution, between work hours between two jobs, rural PO hours and sharing a car with a long commute it's been difficult to plan ahead. I apologize for any inconvenience.

I have this weekend off of pretty much everything and would love to spend the time doing art! i wasn't expecting to be quite so free so I'm expanding my slots a little bit.

Since I'd really like to do some holiday pinup commissions this year, I'm offering a sale of $10 off their normal price of $35. That's nearly a 40% discount I'm only accepting 8 orders for these though, several will be done this weekend and the rest will be done before XMas. The price does NOT include shipping which is $2.50 in the US and $3.50 to the rest of the world.

This sale ends on Friday.

Think along the lines of this except with a skill level a bit higher than two years ago. Traditional, mixed media, 8.5X11inches.

Male, herm, 'taur, feral, human etc. is fine too =D and it doesn't have to be XMas themed per-say.

I pick the outfit, though you can give me suggestions of what kinds of things you want to see, type of ourfit it will be etc. I won't cross-dress characters unless asked to. The exact details are up to my discretion though! (If you REALLY want to be specific I can do so for a little extra $$)

The price includes a character with dropped shadow. Sometimes background elements are added at my discretion. Backgrounds added at commissioner's request are extra. I'll consider doing multple characters for more, PM me your idea if there's something that you want, my quote will include a discount from my normal prices.

Think along the lines of this except with a skill level a bit higher than two years ago.

Though male, herm, 'taur etc. is fine too =D and doesn't have to be XMas per-say.

I pick the outfit, though you can give me suggestions of what kinds of things you want to see, type of ourfit it will be etc. The exact details are up to my discretion though! (If you REALLY want to be specific I can do so for a little extra $$)

These are $35 for a pinup with dropped shadow.

I'll consider doing multple characters for more, PM me your idea if there's something that you want.

I'm only opening for a couple of these this year, otherwise there's no way they'd be finished in time for XMas.

5 slots =D

Will be posting the freebies tonight, I ended up picking three but didn’t get a chance to scan them.

Am hammering away at my waitlist, I’m changing the order because I’m having several people who stopped responding to me. If you are one of those people, please give me your information!

If you are not:
 Frunt or  sasuke then I need information from you to continue!

As soon as I finish those two badges I will be taking holiday commissions.

http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/2887845/

I'll be closing the journal to new comments tonight. Recipients will be picked at random, I can't tell you how many because I don't know--it's however many I get to over the next week. I'm using these to warm up for some of the bigger projects I have.

Leaving this open 'till Tuesday evening =D I pick them at random so last is certainly not least.

I need a little inspiration for doodling, I'm going to want some small things to warm up. I'm only doing a couple over the next few days. I'll leave it open for a little bit as I'll be picking and choosing warm-up sketches over the next couple days.

I reserve the right to do or not do as many as I please. Chances are I won't get to even half.

Up to TWO character allowed this round--I may or may not do both.

Must comment with this:

Link to character refs:
3 things that make your character(s) happy:
Adult artwork OK? Y/N

 Blitzava's Ryuk and my Rico had a blast during that major storm last week. Us, not so much XD That said, we videotaped the two of them derping around because they were having so much fun. The first video is as it's falling, at the beginning of the storm. THe second is after 30 inches had come down--in many areas it was above the dogs' heads!

https://youtu.be/sOI87IZ-lAc

https://youtu.be/x7Tw0eJ_6qE

Any help putting me in touch with these folk is appreciated, it's been nearly 3 weeks without responses and I want to make sure I touch base with everyone on my worklist:

Dexxy: rat fursona, commissioned me in person at Furfright. We volunteer for the same organization but don't want to be all stalkerish and ask them for a different contact email

 Frunt I jsut messaged him but it doesn't look like he uses FA often. Can any friend of his point him in my direction and tell him to email me at mvigeant86@gmail.com? CONTACT ESTABLISHED, THANKS!

I haven't heard from either of these people since they commissioned me at Furfright, I'm not sure if my emails are getting filtered or if my contact information is somehow wrong.

Thanks!

There's a couple things on my ship list today, unfortunately my state is in a state of emergency after this weekend's unprecedented blizzard.

 Atraties  Blitzava and I are all ok, we were luck enough to retain power because we live near the power station and our lines run underground. Most people were not so fortunate. Most of the infrastructure here is closed and might be for a couple days, so we'll probably be hosting our neighbors.

I will try to get things shipped ASAP.

TLDR: furfright, commission update, busy-ness reasons, studio status and pets

Welcome new watchers from Furfright! It was great to meet you all =D I saw a lot of old friends and made some new ones.

Sorry for the delay in postings! I ended up sick during and after Furfright, but I’m recovered now =D I’ll be chugging away at commissions in my spare time. Due to my working full-time expect it will take a little over month to get through everything.

I feel bad for not posting more journals—to be honest my schedule has me out for 11 hours a day, and by the time I come home all I want to do is relax before bed. I now work for the department of Journalism where I watch CNN for 5 hours a day. By the time I get home I want nothing to do with TV, Internet or any other “media.” It’s why I’ve nearly disappeared from the LJ communities, etc. Hopefully the situation is only temporary; I’m planning on dropping the second job at the Flow Cytometry Facility sometime in the next couple months as it’s too much for too little pay.

The new art-studio space is very nearly complete, and I will soon have a dedicated work environment. I’m really excited about this! It makes me feel much more professional and less like an amateur. I’ll take photos. We’ll be setting up a bird-haven in front of the large picture windows so that I can birdwatch while I work. How awesome is that? I’m looking into energy efficient heated birdbaths—we can’t afford to run something too expensive, but I do want a water-source for the winter, as it attracts more birds than any seed you can use. I already miss my rose-breasted grosbeaks which have moved on for the winter, but who knows what woodland birds may drop by? We’re in the middle of deep woods in the hills/mountainy area of MA rather than the typical suburb so it might be interesting what we see.

Rico is doing fantastic with training, and I’m hoping to get him evaluated for his canine good-citizenship test soon. Our fosters got adopted at the recent Ratfest in Connecticut, so we took on 4 more. Two are gorgeous platinum girlies, and our first ever dumbo. Two are…well…some will call them squishes. I’ll say it: they’re FAT. They’re of great character though =D

I have a dealer's table for Furfright! I'm going to be there thursday night and after table set-up should have time for a couple badges that can be picked up on friday at in the dealer's den. Any interest?

Payment is upfront through paypal, must be paid by tommorow afternoon

I'm offering:
$12 Pinata badges: now an at-con exclusive! Will sometimes open for preorders, but no more online commissions.
http://www.furaffinity.net/view/3410538/
http://www.furaffinity.net/view/3409077/
http://www.furaffinity.net/view/3391123
With nameplate, $5 extra: http://www.furaffinity.net/view/3432263/

$35 Full-body laminated (size varies by character-please tell me if you don't like big badges! can be sexual or not, but no genitals or bare breasts.)
http://www.furaffinity.net/view/4020053/
http://www.furaffinity.net/view/3987422/
w/background +$10 or more depending on complexity
http://www.furaffinity.net/view/4590039


and Watercolor badges:
$40 Painted ACEO (2.5X3.5 inches!) or badge (3X4 inches) on hand-dyed paper singed on the edges,:
http://www.furaffinity.net/view/4398627/


I am only offering 2 slots, unless both are pinatas upon which I can offer a third:
1.
2.

All items on my shipping list will be out in the mail by thursday. I will have DC on all domestic shipments if you would like your number please PM me.

I'm genuinely sorry about the delay. I'm currently sharing a car and working long hours away from home, so PO trips require more planning than normal--I live in rural-land where the POs have very short, odd hours. To prevent this problem in the future I'm going to implement a dedicated shipping date once every two weeks. When I have commissions to be mailed I will write these shipping days on the list linked in my signature.

My computer at home is down for a bit while we clear it entirely and reload everything. I can't post anything until that's taken care of =(

I absolutely love my new job =D been busy as a bumblebee though, between working two different jobs and the long drive I've had a lot less free time than I had imagined I would. Life is starting to become "normal" though, and things are settling down.

I got a kitten! We adopted him from the animal shelter. He's 8 months old and black with yellow eyes. I hope to post pics when the computer is back.

And on the happiest note, we got the driveway repaired =D no more walking the quarter of a mile on rough terrain to the car.

First, the good news: I GOT A NEW JOB! Thank goodness because today was the last day of my office position and what I make from Flow Cytometry does not make up enough difference to live on. The best part? I even get benefits! Only half benefits, but still, incredible! I'm working as the new Journalism receptionist/administrative assistant for the local university. Just got the call a couple hours ago. Thank god because the retail job i took to fill the gap was...well...retail.

The bad news? Well...we made it out of Irene OK, but there was major water damage to our property. We just got back the estimates and it will cost $10,000 to fix. We're hoping insurance will cover it, but in the meantime we're reeling from the number. For the record, we don't live in a flood area, or anything like it, we're on a hill with nothing but woods above us.

Well, since I can't help the bad news I'm going to revel in the good. It's not the answer to every prayer, but between this and flow cytometry I'm making more than I was. <3

Once I finish all of my commissioned work already on my plate, I will be doing some fundraising for the driveway. If you are interested in a picture from me, I'll be opening for bigger projects sometime after labor day.

So far, so good, just lots of rain and my lawn and driveway is flooded. Nothing inside *crosses fingers*

If we lose power or internet connection it's likely I will be out of touch for a while--I live in a rural area with poor infrastructure. We live near the powergrid and are on a state highway which may help, but we are still of much lower a priority than the cities.

I'm only a couple sketches away from completing everything, I'll be posting them as soon as I can.

NYC was amazing. I ate goat cheesecake with mint and tarragon which was the most amazing thing ever o.o

I held a box of Nerds candy that as full and as big as my torso. I saw the harry potter exhibit and got to stare at the actual wands used in the movie, they were awesome! The museum of sex rocked and in their "OralFix" cafe I got to have a Cinnamon soda. Alice's Teahouse was quite cute and I had a nummy brunch of smoked salmon and poached egg on a scone. We ran through Mood Fabrics (as seen on Project Runway!) and rode on the carousel in Central Park. Overall, I'd like to think I had an incredible trip =3

We also got into an exclusive rooftop bar, where apparently there were some famous people that I can't remember the names of. The bouncer just waved us in--we didn't have any issues (I'm assuming because we're young and female...) I also drank an awesome bourbon and ginger drink at the hotel bar. Lastly, a friend of ours had helped us get an incredible hotel rate, and our hotel had free access to their spa--it was honestly one of my favorite parts of the trip! Sitting in a super-comfy robe while nibbling olives and fancy cheeses having just used super-nice soaps etc and luxury showers? Sign me up!

I'm still in shock methinks!

I'm headed to New York for the long weekend, my friends were awesome and offered to take me out there for a last hurrah before one of them goes off into the sunset to pursue life elsewhere. (it's not for a while but this is the most convenient weekend)

I can't wait, seeing all those places from the picturebooks and "The Cricket in Times Square." We're even going to go see the traveling Harry Potter exhibit, and the Museum of Sex!

If I still owe you a sketch commission they will be done early next week.

Having your brake lines give out.  Atraties and I experienced this today, ironically while driving back from trying to meet with the mechanic for a minor and unrelated issue. I'm still shaking from the adrenaline rush hours later. We had at least 2 instances of HOMG WE'RE GONNA DIE" today, one where we nearly blew 40mph past a stop sign into busy but fast oncoming traffic.

We're safe now, and in the end that's what matters...but now we can walk away from it with a stiff drink and the heavy knowledge that if you're brake-line is about to...well...break, that there is 100% no warning until your brakes just mysteriously cease to be.

I set up my prices on my deviantart because I love that you can include a thumbnail right in the journals. I can't wait until FA has features like that!

http://stormslegacy.deviantart.com/.....rnal/43270210/

These sketches are very detailed, on grayscale paper, check out my gallery front page for many examples! Cheapest you will ever find my sketches!

Still raising money to help offset those vetbills and make sure I can handle more in the future!

http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/2608793/

I'm going to close this on SUNDAY, upon which my normal prices shall apply.

http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/2608793/

Purchasing goes towards refiling my emergency vet-fund, after the recent bout of illnesses.

See my gallery for what's been commissioned so far!

http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/2608793/

I'm in need of funds to help rebuild my e-vet fund after all the recent illnesses, please consider purchasing!